The Big Gigs: 10 top concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

The incarnation of the New Power Generation led by Tony Mosley will revisit the Purple repertoire with special guest Brown Mark of Prince & the Revolution (8 p.m. First Avenue, $54.24 and up); Pure Prairie League, which gave us the ‘70s hit “Amie” and singer Craig Fuller and later Vince Gill, harmonize again (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $59-$79); Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves are a fiddle and banjo duo who’ve played with other folk and Americana artists and are now touring their own original tunes (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $18); Twin Cities institution Boiled in Lead bring their Celtic rock to downtown St. Paul for a free concert (5-7 p.m. Rice Park); Sue Scott’s latest edition of Island of Discarded Women podcast has some heavyweight guests including comic Paula Poundstone, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Winona singer Amanda Grace (7:30 p.m. Crooners, sold out); veteran guitarist Toronzo Cannon brings some Chicago blues to downtown Minneapolis with his latest album for Alligator Records, “Shut Up & Play” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35); St. Paul native Francine Magee is coming from Los Angeles with her band to showcase her debut album (8 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$22).

This 16th annual Prior Lake fest continues its tradition of one night of classic rock and one night of country music. Foreigner of “Jukebox Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is” fame headlines on Friday, with Kelly Hansen, the lead singer of 20 years, on his swan song trek before guitarist Luis Maldonado takes over as main vocalist. Cofounder Mick Jones retired two years ago because of Parkinson’s disease while heyday lead singer Lou Gramm departed in 1990, though he participated in last year’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Opening for Foreigner will be .38 Special and Loverboy. On Saturday, country star Miranda Lambert will deliver her captivating mix of mixes fire (“Kerosene”) and ballads (“The House That Built Me”) following sets by Randy Houser and Dillon Carmichael. (6:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Lakefront Park, 5000 Kop Parkway SE, Prior Lake, $85 and up, lakefrontmusicfest.com)

Troy Andrews is one of New Orleans’ great party starters. The spirited trombonist/singer brings a NOLA gumbo of funk, jazz, rock, pop and hip-hop with a taste of James Brown and Prince to spice things up. Anyone who saw Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue in his multiple appearances at the Minnesota Zoo knows how he brings it in the Minnesota summer. He’s on a tour of outdoor venues with opener JJ Grey & Mofro, an ardent blue-eyed Southern soul man sans the rock star panache of Shorty. (7 p.m. Surly Brewing Festival Field, 520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Mpls., $49.50 and up, axs.com)

For the past 20 years, this Oklahoma ensemble has been a leading practitioner of red dirt music. It’s country music that’s honest and non-cliched with hints of folk, Americana, bluegrass and rock. On this year’s sixth studio album, “The Price of Admission,” frontman Evan Felker spins story songs and contemplative tunes, buoyed by Shooter Jennings’ production with a taste for twang and Telecaster guitar. After a couple of gigs in the Midwest, Turnpike will join Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival. Opening for Turnpike is Old Crow Medicine, the Grammy-winning originators of “Wagon Wheel.” (7:30 p.m. Ledge Amphitheater, 1700 Parkway Dr., Waite Park, $70 and up, ticketmaster.com)

The third of four lineups in this year’s nighttime events series at the zoo — sort of little mini music fests with all-local talent spread between two stages — offers an especially wild crossbreeding of genres. Twangy retro-groovers the Cactus Blossoms return to the Weesner Amphitheater stage, where their harmonious country tunes always sound a little warmer on a summer night. Also on the bill are poppy and bookish indie-rockers Bad Bad Hats, envelope-pushing punk quartet Gully Boys and collegiate pop-rocker Colin Bracewell. Admission includes zoo exhibits, and food and drink stands are open, too. (5-10 p.m., Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley, 18 & older, $30-$40, mnzoo.org)

The Iowa rocker with a Minnesota band has been a regular visitor to the Gopher state, hitting the Icehouse and Parkway Theater. Now the “When I’m Alone” singer — who brought more attention to her rich, Stevie Nicks-ian song catalog with a role on the Netflix series “Loudermilk” — is bringing her powerful voice and rocking repertoire to downtown Minneapolis for two nights. (7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $60-$65, dakotacooks.com)

Rockers of a certain age may remember the laser light shows that would accompany spacy music at local theaters. The Museum of Russian Art will host something similar, but with classical works — Peter Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” and Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” — performed by this Russian pianist (and Minnesota resident) within a light installation full of vivid projections. “The Music Illuminated” should be a pretty cool event, taking place within the multistory atrium at the museum’s center. (7 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Av., Mpls., $5-$14, children free, tmora.org)

Also: Louisiana slide guitar master Sonny Landreth, known as the king of slydeco, is in town with his trio (8 p.m. Parkway Theater, $40-$50); Twin Cities metal vets Impaler are putting on another horrific show outside on the patio at Palmer’s Bar with VolsungaSaga, Rad Enhancer and more (7 p.m., $15); the Regional Jazz Trio features local heavyweights Anthony Cox, JT Bates and Mike Lewis (7:30 p.m. Berlin, $20); Yeshaya Ehrlich Yeshaya is Adi Yeshaya on piano, his son Ethan on bass and Ben Ehrlich on drums for some happy hour jazz Twin Cities style (4:30 p.m. Berlin, free).

A benefit for Open Arms Minnesota, which provides food to the needy, will feature Magic Castles, Alpha Consumer, Laamar, Robert Wilkinson and Jeff Ray & the Stakes (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $25.-$30); the music of the late, great saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and the late, great singer Bill Withers will be presented by sax man Jose James, singer Lamont Keten and an all-star Twin Cities cast (7 p.m. Crooners, $37.89 and up); Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Tempe, Ariz.’s favorite rockers, return to the Fine Line (8 p.m., $39.57 and up).

Whether her hometown of Houston or her homebase of Austin claims her, Carolyn Wonderland keeps winning awards for her fiery blues-rock as evidenced on her fiery new full length “Truth Is” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35.77 and up); Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, the California combo that mixes rockabilly, Western swing and other Americana and Mexican sounds, is back (7:30 Hook & Ladder, $22-$36); Blind Melon, the “No Rain” hitmakers who took a decade to replace late singer Shannon Hoon, will play a free concert to kick off the Riverside Music series before heading to the Twin Cities for Minnesota Yacht Club (7 p.m. Mayo Park, Rochester); Rich Hinman vs Adam Levy is an instrumental group featuring the pedal steel guitarist (who’s also a professor at Berklee College of Music) and the New York guitarist (6 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$30); Wisconsin’s enduring BoDeans, who seem to play more gigs in the Twin Cities than most local bands, bring “Closer to Free” and other favorites for an outdoor show (5:30 p.m. Utepils, $50); the third annual Bastille My Heart will explore French and French-American songs with Twin Cities vocalists Prudence Johnson, Maud Hixson and Bradley Greenwald and pianist Dan Chouinard (5 p.m. Crooners, $37.89 and up); Martin Zellar, the Zamboni-loving Minnesota rocker who lives in Mexico, is back, on the rooftop of the Hewing Hotel (7-10 p.m., $30 and up).

Earlier this summer, Minneapolis native Evren Ozel won a bronze medal at North America’s most prestigious tournament of top-flight young pianists, Texas’ Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Back in 2017, Plymouth’s Broberg was in a similar spot, taking silver that year and going on to win bronze at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia and receive one of the lucrative American Piano Awards in 2021. He’s visiting Duluth to present a master class at the Young Artist Piano Camp and will throw in a free recital that’s open to the public. (7 p.m. Weber Music Hall, 1151 University Drive, Duluth, free, wirthcenter.org)

Also: After a series of shows in Canada, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox brings its reimagined repertoire of pop hits including the recent “Die with a Smile” (8 p.m. Ames Center, $50 and up).

They each have three-word names and only three members in their noisy bands. Otherwise, the only thing these two American bands have in common is they’ve been touring clubs and festivals for more than three decades creating beautifully whirry guitar noise with some mighty catchy pop hooks, too. Idahoan Doug Martsch has been going strong in concert since relaunching BTS with a new, younger lineup in 2019. YLT’s married Jersey-kids bandleaders Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan just played a lovingly received four-night residency in San Francisco and remain one of indie-rock’s great influencers. (7 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $39-$45, axs.com)

Truth be told, Minneapolis’ Bryant Lake Bowl inspired Lake Street Dive for its moniker. Musically, the beloved Brooklyn band is inspired by swing jazz, classic pop and vintage soul. With multiple singers like jazzy Rachael Price (last heard in Minneapolis with her vintage duo Rachel & Vilray) and soulful Ake Bermiss (a frequent visitor to the Dakota), LSD sounds like Motown filtered through the Brill Building, as someone once put it. With a setlist filled with pop-soul gems from last year’s “Good Together” project, Lake Street Dive delivers a delightful sound that will treat dancers and listeners alike on the picturesque shores of Lake Superior in downtown Duluth. (7 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, $65.97 and up, axs.com)

Also: The Baylor Project — featuring Marcus Baylor, former drummer for the Yellowjackets, and his wife Jean Baylor, formerly of Zhané — have received seven Grammy nominations for their gospel-tinged jazz/R&B (7 p.m. the Dakota, $40-$55).

They played two star-crossed dreamers on screen in 2007’s swooning movie “Once,” for which they won best song at the Oscars with “Falling Slowly.” That turned into a brief romantic relationship off screen. That, in turn, made things complicated. Irish folk-rocker Glen Hansard and Czech-Icelandic pianist/singer Markéta Irglová are finally back making music together as the Swell Season and touring for their first album in 16 years, “Forward,” issued just last week and featuring more oceanic ballads and heart-warming duets. If this one’s as lovely as their 2009 set here, bring a tissue. (8 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av., $65-$190, ticketmaster.com)

Also: He’s a wizard, a true star and a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is Todd Rundgren, who’s up for something, anything and surprises (7:30 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $60 and up); Keiko Matsui, the veteran spiritual jazz pianist from Japan, returns to the the Dakota (7 p.m. $45-$60); ace country guitarists Mary Cutrufello and Dan Lowinger and their band the New Havoline Supremes are filling in for Cole Diamond at the Whiskey Wednesday slot at Palmer’s Bar (8-11 p.m., free); psychedelic groovers the American Cream Band pair up with Time Room (7 p.m. Cloudland Theater, $12).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.